


Discipulus, praeceptor

by Andramion



Series: Zine works [9]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, karasuno 1st years in 2nd year, karasuno's new first years, senpai tsukki, summer training camp at shinzen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:41:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28046340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Andramion/pseuds/Andramion
Summary: At the summer training camp at Shinzen in his second year, Tsukishima thinks about what he's learnt there - and what he can pass on.-Kei hangs back on the bus as Ennoshita addresses the rest of the team in the parking lot. He’s taking his time rolling up the wire of his headphones carefully, putting it into his backpack, tucked between the face towel and travel packet of wet wipes.Out the window next to him, he can see Hinata and Kageyama vibrating in place as they hold back the urge to just run up the steps to Shinzen’s gymnasiums. In front of them, the first years are carefully listening to Ennoshita. Kei is glad they’re a more well-behaved lot than his own year mates. Further ahead, halfway down the steps from the school’s entrance to the parking lot, is their welcoming committee. He can’t really make out who exactly they are; some of faint human-shaped blobs are wearing Nekoma’s bright red jersey trousers, others are in more nondescript practice gear. He might need to get his glasses prescription checked again.
Series: Zine works [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/907608
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25
Collections: Moonrise: A Tsukishima Kei Zine





	Discipulus, praeceptor

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this piece for Moonrise: A Tsukishima Zine.  
> This was the first zine I've created as a mod and it was an incredible experience, I'm super proud of the end product and thankful to all the contributors and the rest of the mod team.
> 
> The zine is all about Tsukishima's development and highlights different parts of his life. My piece was written about his time in high school.
> 
> In case you're wondering who these 3 new first years are, they're canon, though they only show in a single panel so they're pretty much OCs. [chap 379]  
> 

Kei hangs back on the bus as Ennoshita addresses the rest of the team in the parking lot. He’s taking his time rolling up the wire of his headphones carefully, putting it into his backpack, tucked between the face towel and travel packet of wet wipes.

Out the window next to him, he can see Hinata and Kageyama vibrating in place as they hold back the urge to just run up the steps to Shinzen’s gymnasiums. In front of them, the first years are carefully listening to Ennoshita. Kei is glad they’re a more well-behaved lot than his own year mates. Further ahead, halfway down the steps from the school’s entrance to the parking lot, is their welcoming committee. He can’t really make out who exactly they are; some of faint human-shaped blobs are wearing Nekoma’s bright red jersey trousers, others are in more nondescript practice gear. He might need to get his glasses prescription checked again.

Takeda-sensei smiles at him when Kei finally steps out of the bus after a final sweep of the bus to make sure nobody has left anything important behind.

“Ready to go?” Sensei asks, and Kei does a non-committal shrug before replying politely.

It’s only when he’s dragging behind the part of the team that hasn’t launched into space the second Ennoshita let them go, that he sees there’s nobody he knows waiting on the steps. The railings on the side of the steps are cool to the touch, spared from sunlight so far this morning, and Kei’s lets his hand drift along it as he climbs up.

It makes sense that nobody from the other teams is there to welcome him; Bokuto and Kuroo have graduated and he knows Akaashi is captain now, likely looking after his own team. Plus, Haiba had taken off the second Hinata ran past him, keeping up with the ridiculous sprint through the early morning heat. Still, it’s a little strange to be on this campus again, hearing the lazy chirp of cicadas and the soft breeze rustling through the trees, without the chance of being set upon by upperclassmen any second.

That is, of course, if he doesn’t count his own team.

“Tsukishima! Hurry your ass up here, we’re playing Ubugawa in fifteen minutes!” Tanaka is shouting at him from the top of the stairs, apparently having run into the gym and back out with his Nekoma doppelgänger in tow. There’s something ironic about Tanaka being vice-captain, mostly because Kei listens to him despite not wanting to accept a world where following Tanaka is a good idea.

“We’ll be right there!” Yamaguchi calls back for him. He sends Yachi a smile and then hangs back until Kei catches up with him. Although he doesn’t say anything to Kei, Kei can feel him buzzing next to him. Yamaguchi’s been looking forward to this camp for a while now. Kei sighs.

“What will you be doing after the day’s games?” he asks, breaking the figurative dam for Yamaguchi to start spilling. Kei can see Yamaguchi’s hands move out of the corner of his eye, gesturing as he talks about the extra practice he’s planning. Changing positions hadn’t been the easiest, he admits, and he’s going to try and join in with the third years’ spiking practice if he can.

“And you, Tsukki?”

Well, Kei isn’t sure, so he just shrugs. “It’s not like the group from last year is still around,” he says, running his fingers through his bangs, lifting them from his already clammy skin. He should’ve gotten a haircut before coming down to Saitama. “I’ll see what everyone else is up to.”

“At least you’re not planning on just going to bed straight after,” Yamaguchi remarks, grinning. “That’s a step up from last year.”

Kei rolls his eyes and pushes at Yamaguchi’s shoulder before leaning down to take off his shoes and stepping into the gym. “That’s your fault.”

* * *

Unexpectedly, Fukurodani has not yet arrived.

Kei looks around as he puts his gym shoes on, not seeing anyone he can say for sure belongs with Akaashi’s team. Kozume walks past him, listening to Hinata chatter on, but before Kei can ask him if he knows of Fukurodani’s whereabouts, Tokita is crouching next to him.

“Tsukishima-senpai,” he asks, his glossy black hair falling into his face until he holds it back with one of his hands. “I know I’m still a first year but… do you think I’ll get to play today?”

Kei meets his eyes briefly, then looks out across the gym. Their game rotation is posted at the entrance, two games before lunch, another four after. Being a middle blocker like Hinata and Kei, Tokita hasn’t had any time during official games, and precious little during practice matches as well. They’d been gearing up for the Inter-High after all, not too keen on disrupting their team’s formation during the precious few times they got to try it out on another team.

“It’s a training camp,” Kei says, knowing his voice is likely a little too harsh, that Yamaguchi and Hinata would reprimand him for speaking to the first years this way. It’s morning, though, and Kei only woke up five minutes before they arrived at Shinzen. The first years will just have to deal with it. “You’re likely to be put into a match sooner or later. Coach will want to assess everyone’s abilities.”

“Really?” Tokita’s face lights up with a smile before he schools it; hides behind his hair again. “I mean, I’m glad. That’s really… I’m glad. Thanks, senpai.”

Kei hums in acknowledgement, letting Tokita run back over to Yaotome and Shoji. Across the court they’re about to use, Ennoshita gives him a thumbs-up and Kei tries not to scowl in return.

He’s halfway through his stretches when Fukurodani arrives as a flurry of noise spilling into the gym.

“Sorry we’re late!” Akaashi calls out, heading up the back of the group, and Kei laughs softly how much Akaashi seems to have to force himself to be this loud. He watches Hinata bound over, sees Kageyama bouncing in place all starry-eyed, clearly trying to decide whether he can go over and talk to Akaashi as well.

Their game against Ubugawa begins before Kei can make his way over himself, though, but that’s fine. He’ll catch up later.

* * *

After their last practice match of the day, Kei finds himself halfway down the walkway to the third gym before he realises it. To be fair, it’s also a third down the way to the classrooms they’re staying in, but Kei can see the gym ahead of him and clearly remembers how Kuroo had called him over there a year ago.

As he reaches the building, he takes a right from the walkway and looks into the gym. The sun is shining in through the high windows, and aside from the volleyball nets still being up and the mops lined up against the wall, there’s nothing to indicate anyone’s been there all day.

He jumps when he hears a voice behind him.

“Tsukishima,” Akaashi says in lieu of greeting, the corner of his mouth lifting at Kei’s reaction. He turns to tell the people behind him to go ahead, and Kei watches the Fukurodani members file into the third gym. “I went ahead and invited some of my kouhai for extra practice,” Akaashi explains, gesturing at the group. “I’m assuming you’re joining too, since you’re here?”

Kei straightens up and fiddles with the corner of the face towel slung over his shoulder. “Of course.”

“Good.” Then, as though it’s natural for him now, Akaashi raises his voice and shouts across the grounds: “Hinata, Haiba! Do you want to join our practice?”

Kei rolls his eyes at the enthusiastic noise and sound of feet hitting the asphalt that follow it, and quickly makes his way into the gym.

* * *

“You know, we should invite some of our first years,” Hinata says the next morning.

They’re taking a break between the matches, Kei resting on the bench to the side of the court while the others opt to stand in a semi-circle around him. With the third gym only having space for one volleyball court, it’s just them and a few of Shinzen’s players left inside.

“Invite them?” Yamaguchi tries to get him to clarify, but Kei already has a feeling – deep in the pit of his stomach – that he knows what Hinata is talking about.

“To do extra practice here tonight,” he continues, confirming Kei’s suspicions. “Akaashi-san got first years from Fukurodani to join.”

Kei takes another sip from his water bottle, only to find it empty. He stands up, wiping his forehead one more time before leaving his towel on the bench.

“Don’t go pressuring the first years into extra practice,” he tells Hinata, poking him on the head. “Just because you want to be all buddy-buddy with them.” He leaves a fuming Hinata behind with the other, letting the smile settle on his face once he’s stepped outside. He’s not surprised to find the taps outside occupied, not when he’s already gone through two water bottles in the last three hours himself.

Just before Kei arrives, Yaotome is spraying Tokita with water by putting his hand over the mouth of the tap, and Shoji is letting out a rare laugh. Kei can’t think of another time he’s heard it. Tokita brushes his drenched hair out of his face in time to see Kei join them.

“Ah, Tsukishima-senpai!” he greets Kei, and the other two are quick to follow. Kei wishes they weren’t so well-mannered when it came to this. It’d be so much easier if they could just relax around him and pretend he wasn’t there.

“Hi,” he says now, reaching for the tap next to Yaotome and watching him step back quickly to give him space. Kei lets out a breath as he unscrews the cap of his water bottle and turns to them instead. “You don’t have to be so careful around me, you know.”

Kei knows he hasn’t interacted with his underclassmen much yet, but the fact that their eyebrows nearly fly off their foreheads still irks him. Though maybe,  _ maybe _ , he could put a little effort into it as well. So he tries. “How are you guys doing with the camp so far?”

He doesn’t get a response to that, and when he sees them stare at him like deer caught in headlights, he sighs and turns to the taps, turning one on to fill his bottle. Maybe something more specific then.

“I heard from Yamaguchi that you were going through your serves yesterday, Yaotome?”

“Ah, yes!” the most outgoing of the three says, still looking like he’s unsure what else to say when Kei looks over. Clearly, he needs a different approach. To Kei’s surprise, though, despite usually being the quietest of the group of first years, it’s Shoji who speaks up on his own.

“Tokita-kun and I also did spike practice with a few people from Nekoma. And Yaotome ran through receiving drills. It’s nice that it’s cooler in the evening.”

Kei turns off the tap and watches Shoji clearly try to come up with more to say.

“It’s still really hot during the day, though,” Tokita jumps in. “That’s why we came here for a bit, to  _ cool off _ . Getting drenched was never really the plan.” He holds his soaked shirt out in demonstration.

“Hey, I’m not sorry!” Yaotome grins widely, seemingly having forgotten his nerves now. He turns to Kei and cups his mouth despite speaking loud enough for the other two to hear. “These guys are just easy targets.”

“Hey!” Shoji and Tokita both protest at the same time and Yaotome turns to laugh at them, shoulders shaking and one arm stretched to gesture at Tokita’s wet shirt.

“Easy, huh,” Kei says, taking a step to the side. Slowly, casually.

“Yeah, did you see Tokita’s face when-” He breaks into a screech when the cold water hits his back and turns around in reflex, only to get his chest splashed too. He looks shocked more than anything, but the other two are already breaking into laughter.

“I see.” Kei closes the tap and shakes his hand dry. “It is indeed quite fun when people are such easy targets.” He resists the urge to look back over his shoulder when he walks back towards the gym, but he can hear Yaotome’s breath hitch into a chuckle behind him, a disbelieving little laugh.

“Tsukishima-senpai!” Yaotome calls after him, just before Kei reaches the wide-open doors, “You’re not as stuck-up as I thought you were!”

“Oh my god, Yaotome!” Tokita shouts, and Kei can’t help the grin creeping across his face as he steps back inside.

* * *

In the evening, Kei checks on the first years before heading off to the third gym.

A few of them are hanging back with Kageyama, studying his serving form with rapt attention. Kei already feels sorry for them, remembering Kageyama’s failed attempts at speaking Japanese when it comes to volleyball. Behind them, on the first gym’s second court, Shoji is in a four-on-four game with a group likely made up of people from different teams, but Kei doesn’t recognise all of them.

He finds Yaotome in the second gym, going through his receiving form with Shibayama. There are a few first years from other teams and libero’s on one side of the court, spikers and two setters on the other.

The last of Karasuno’s first years is leaning against the wall of the third gym when Kei nears it. Tokita is peeking into the gym, no doubt watching whatever drills Hinata, Akaashi and Haiba have started already.

“Want to join in?” Kei asks him when he’s behind him, and Tokita turns around in a flash, relaxing when he sees it’s Kei.

“Can I?” he asks, and although Kei is very much a different person than Tokita, he can see some of himself in the question. Just as baffled, just as confused that a group of powerhouse players would want to practice with him.

“I wouldn’t offer otherwise.” Kei steps inside and switches his footwear again, leaving his outside sneakers at the door. “Last year, my senpai showed me a few things.” He gestures for Tokita to join them, in the third gym where Kei himself also got started. “I’ll teach you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! If you'd like to leave a comment, they're definitely very very much appreciated.


End file.
